For all of Hurricane’s Sandy’s power and fury, it also spawned a silent killer that could become one of the storm’s deadliest legacies.

Carbon monoxide poisoning has claimed at least five lives in New Jersey since Monday, mostly from the fumes of gas- or diesel-powered generators.

Storm-weary residents are increasingly relying on generators for light and heat while utility companies are struggling to restore power to about 1.5 million customers statewide.

But medical and government officials said yesterday the misuse of generators and alternative heating mechanisms have caused life-threatening or debilitating injuries and urged residents to keep the machines as far from the home — anyone’s home — as possible.

New Brunswick police discovered Rafael Reyes, 55, dead in a kitchen on Throop Avenue yesterday morning. They found a generator running in his basement.

In Trenton, Gracie Dunston, 59, died and seven members of her family were sickened by "very high" levels of carbon monoxide from a generator and a propane heater running on the first floor, Fire Director Qareeb Bashir said.

Edison police confirmed yesterday that a township man died this week after running a generator in his garage.

And in Newark, two young women, identified by family members as Mudiwa Benson and Kenya Barber, both 19, were killed Wednesday night by prolonged exposure to carbon monoxide from a generator too close to their apartment window, authorities said.

"The stories that we’re hearing over the last couple of days are frightening," said Dr. Steven Marcus, director of New Jersey’s poison control center which has been inundated with calls about carbon monoxide poisoning.

"People are just not thinking and I’m afraid that the longer there is no power the worse this could be," he said.

No power, no gasFor residents who still don't have power in Jersey City and Hoboken, there's another problem: no gas. Without electricity, you can't pump gas. (Video by Nyier Abdou/The Star-Ledger)

Rob Aiers, founder of carbonmonoxidekills.com, an advocacy and information site, said people should be aware not only of generator fumes in their own homes but in their neighbors’ as well.

"You need to understand which way the wind is blowing and which way exhaust gases are going to be blown, which isn’t an easy thing to do," he said.

With temperatures dropping, people are using gas ovens, stoves, and even charcoal grills to heat their homes. Government and medical leaders said this is extremely dangerous and begged residents to stop.

"People are running their stoves now 24-hours a day," said Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a city with about 50 percent of its power back.

"EMT’s have had to respond to numerous calls where people called and said they’re feeling sick and nauseous," he said.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas that binds to the hemoglobin in red blood cells. At high levels, this prevents the transmission of oxygen throughout the body and acts as a kind of cellular suffocation.